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BRYTYJSKIE
WYSPY DZIEWICZE,
ang. British Virgin Islands, terytorium zależne W. Brytanii w Ameryce
Środk., w Indiach Zach.; obejmuje ok. 40 wysp, skał i raf koralowych na
M. Karaibskim, w grupie W. Dziewiczych; gł. wyspy: Tortola (pow. 54,4 km2,
ok. 9 tys. mieszk.), Anegada (39 km2, ok. 170 mieszk.), Virgin Gorda
(21 km2, ok. 1400 mieszk.); ogółem pow. 153 km2, ok. 19
tys. mieszk. (1996), gł. Murzyni; stolica i port mor. Road Town (na wyspie
Tortola); język urzędowy — ang.; jednostka monetarna — dolar USA.
Wyspy pochodzenia wulk.,
pagórkowate, jedynie nizinna Anegada zbud. z wapieni koralowych; klimat
podrównikowy, w lecie cyklony. Podstawą gospodarki jest turystyka (ok. 320 tys.
osób rocznie; ok. 75% produktu wewn. brutto) oraz usługi finansowe; produkt
krajowy brutto na 1 mieszk. 11 231 dol. USA (1989); hodowla kóz, owiec;
rybołówstwo; uprawa gł. batatów, manioku; przemysł spoż. (m.in. destylarnie
rumu), budowa łodzi i jachtów; handel gł. z USA.
Ustrój polityczny.
Terytorium zależne W. Brytanii; ograniczona autonomia wewn.; konstytucja z 1967
(zmiany 1977); monarchę bryt. reprezentuje mianowany przezeń gubernator, do
którego wyłącznej kompetencji należą sprawy zagr., obrony, bezpieczeństwa wewn.,
administracji publ. i wymiaru sprawiedliwości oraz ustawodawstwo w tym zakresie;
władza ustawodawcza w pozostałych sprawach należy do Rady Ustawodawczej,
w większości wybieranej w wyborach powszechnych; władzę wykonawczą pełni
odpowiedzialna przed parlamentem Rada Wykonawcza, mianowana przez gubernatora,
który jej przewodniczy.
Historia.
Odkryte 1493 przez K. Kolumba; do poł. XVII w. należały do Hiszpanii; w 2 poł.
XVII w. zasiedlane przez Anglików i zaanektowane przez gubernatora ang.
W. Podwietrznych; od 1773 samorząd; 1872 włączone do bryt. kolonii Federacja
Wysp Podwietrznych; od 1956 odrębna kolonia, od 1967 autonomia (1977
rozszerzona).
British Vigin Islands
dependent territory of the United Kingdom in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is
part of an island chain collectively known as the Virgin
Islands, which makes up the northeastern extremity of the Greater Antilles.
Puerto Rico lies to the west. The Virgin Islands are divided
administratively between the United Kingdom and the United States, the
British territory lying to the north and east of the U.S. islands.
The British colony consists of four larger islands (Tortola,
Anegada,
Virgin Gorda,
and
Jost Van Dyke)
and 32 smaller islands and islets, of which more than 20 are uninhabited.
The chief town and port is
Road Town
on Tortola (21 square miles [54 square km]), the largest of the islands.
The total area of the colony is 59 square miles (153 square km). Pop. (1993
est.) 18,000.
For information about regional aspects of the British Virgin
Islands, see
West Indies: Virgin Islands.
The economy
The economic mainstay of the British Virgin Islands is
tourism,
based on the nearly perfect climate, sparkling beaches, tropical vegetation, and
undersea coral reefs. Tourism provides about half of the colony's income and is
the largest employer in the islands. Agriculture was the backbone of the
economy until tourism replaced it in the 1970s. The most important agricultural
activity is livestock raising. The main crops are bananas, sugarcane, citrus
fruits, coconuts, mangoes, and various root crops. Some fruits and vegetables
continue to be exported, but most crops are grown for local consumption. Fishing
in the well-endowed coastal waters is a growing industry, and fresh fish have
also become a significant export. Manufacturing is restricted to the production
of rum, paint, and building materials (sand and gravel). Cottage industries
produce woven baskets and other items that appeal to the tourist trade.
A
bridge connects Tortola on the east to Beef Island, site of the main
airport. Direct flights from the Virgin Islands of the United
States, Puerto Rico, and the eastern Caribbean are accommodated. Road Harbour on
Tortola is a deepwater port.
Government and social conditions.
The British Virgin Islands are a colony of the United
Kingdom. The country is administered under the constitution that came into
effect in 1977. The chief executive officer is the governor, who is appointed by
the British monarch. The governor is advised by an Executive Council and
by a Legislative Council, most of whose members are elected. The general health
of the population is good, and literacy is almost 100 percent.
History
The Arawak Indians who probably initially occupied the Virgin Islands
had been expelled by the warlike
Caribs
by the time Christopher Columbus arrived at the islands in 1493, naming
them Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes (“St. Ursula and the Eleven Thousand
Virgins”). In 1555 the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Charles V sent a Spanish
invasion force to claim the islands, and by 1596 most of the Caribs had
fled or been killed. The islands were an early haunt for buccaneers and
pirates. Dutch buccaneers held Tortola until it was taken over in 1666 by
English planters. Tortola was annexed by the British-administered Leeward
Islands in 1672. The English planters' slave-based sugar plantations
declined after slavery was abolished in the first half of the 19th century. In
1872 the islands became part of the Colony of the Leeward Islands,
retaining that status until the colony was defederated in 1956. Thereafter, the
British Virgin Islands became a separate colony. The colony
was given a ministerial form of government in 1967, which was continued under
the new constitution of 1977.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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